The Australian Education Amendment (2015 Measures No.1) Regulation 2015 was introduced this week to amend the 2014 Principal Regulations under the Australian Education Act 2013. The amendment is mainly focused on how federal funding is apportioned. Changes include:
The NSW Board of Studies has confirmed this week that domestic violence survivors will be called to speak about their experiences as a part of the new Year 7-10 PDHPE syllabus for 2016. The Byron Shire News reported that a spokesman from the BOSTES said that ‘schools would ensure that the individual, topic and material are suitable’.
Burwood Girls High School had arranged to air the documentary Gayby Baby during class time on Friday as part of Wear It Purple Day, an annual event promoting understanding of young LGBTI Australians, SBS reports. The documentary follows four children who are growing up with same-sex parents. NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli has directed that the film not be shown in school hours as ‘schools are not places for political issues to be aired’.
An employee of an Adelaide primary school has appeared in the District Court this week following accusations of indecent assault, unlawful sexual intercourse and procuring or inciting a child to commit an indecent act. The ABC reports that the staffer has been suspended from his role at the school.
The Government News reports that the federally funded Safe Schools Coalition (SSC) will be nationwide by the end of year as Western Australia and the Northern Territory have signed up to the program. SSC provides support and advice to students, teachers and schools on how to support gender and sexual diversity in schools.
This week the ABC reported that Queensland’s current Overall Position (OP) system will be replaced by the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) system in 2018. Queensland and the ACT are the only jurisdictions that still rely completely on school-based assessment when ranking students.
Research conducted by the University of Technology Sydney reveals that in 2011, students with a language background other than English made up 52% of all enrolments in Sydney’s public high schools, but only 22% in independent schools. The SMH quoted Dr Christina Ho, who conducted the research, saying ‘schools are becoming more segregated in terms of both class and ethnicity. In a multicultural society like Australia, it is unnatural and unhealthy for our schools to be so ethnically divided.’
The Tampa Tribune reports that to keep parents better informed about safety matters at schools, a Florida school district has partnered with local law enforcement to develop an information system that will dispense fast, accurate information via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the Internet during emergencies and safety drills. Schools have welcomed the system as misinformation in times of confusion or emergency can compromise student safety.
New Mexico’s Attorney General will investigate how the State’s largest school district hired a deputy superintendent who faces child sex abuse charges in Colorado, ABC reports. The Attorney General will look into why the school’s safety protocols were dismissed and how the man was hired before a background check was completed.
A think-tank in the UK has suggested that schools where pupils fail to achieve a minimum C grade in final maths and English exams should be fined to help pay for subsequent exam resits. The Guardian reports that hundreds of thousands of pupils have to take the exams again as a result of the government’s compulsory resit policy and at great expense.
Last year schools in the UK paid £1.5 million to 150 students for injuries suffered at school. The Mirror reports that payouts included £7,500 to a student who got a splinter from a wooden bench, £4,000 to a child who was burned by an ice pack given to him after he hurt his leg and £7,000 to a child who was hit by a gate. Most of the injuries came from sporting accidents and experts fear the numbers will double when legal fees are included in the bill.